KaffeBox December 17 Box – The Barn El Mirador

Part 2 for KaffeBox December 17 Box, in this post I’ll only write about the Guatemalan coffee El Mirador from the coffee roastery The Barn. In Wednesdays post you’ve been able to read about the coffee and also what I expect from the coffee. In this part, I’ll share my recipe for an awesome pour-over and Espro travel press as usual.

In my cupping of The Barn – El Mirador, it was quite similar to the flavors of what the coffee roastery  The Barn themselves noted. They mentioned pear, stone fruit and smooth. It was definitely smooth in taste, but the pear is such an odd note to find in coffee. Stone fruit is an umbrella term for many varieties, the most obvious stone fruit is nectarine, it’s juicy but still light and subtle. As usual, I would also like to know how good this coffee would be with dark chocolate, I always use chocolate with sea salt because it’s quite natural and captures the flavors better with salt to sweet, acidic and bitterness. It didn’t emphasize the fruity tones as I had hoped, but it wasn’t something that destroyed or worsened the experience.

When I do a cupping I do the following:

1) Grind 11 g coffee in medium-coarse grind, I’ll remember the coffee’s fragrances now when it is dry to compare with the let grounds later.
2) Pour 180 g of water with a temperature of 93 degrees Celsius.
3) Let it sit for 4 minutes.
4) Stir 3 times and try to find as many scents.
5) Remove all foam that’s formed on the top, as shown in the picture below.
6) Wait for 6 minutes so the coffee cools down and to let the coffee grounds fall down to the bottom, then I’ll take my first slurp with a deep spoon. The idea is that you will spray the coffee inside your mouth. That way you will be able to easily recognize the tones contained in the coffee.
7) Wait for 6 minutes and do the same procedure, the reason behind step 7 is that it’s the most optimal time for tasting coffee. If the coffee is still good after 12-15 minutes, then it is a high-quality coffee!

Cupping notes:
Nectarine, very smooth feeling in the mouth and has the spirit of tea.

Information and recipe for the coffee:

Origin: Guatemala
Variety: Caturra, Catuai & Bourbon.
Farm: José Lopez
Region: Huehuetenango
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1 550 – 1 720 meter över havet.

Pour Over:

17g coffee (grind setting on 19D Baratza Sette 270, medium)
225g of filtered water
40g bloom 30 seconds
90 degrees Celsius

1) 40g bloom for 30 seconds, stir with a bamboo stirrer to get all coffee moistened.
2) 225g water in a circular flow (this includes 40g water blooming). This including 30 second blooming, your timing should be on 1 minute and 50 seconds.

Espro Travel Press:

19g coffee (grind setting on 26B Baratza Sette 270)
284g of filtered water
94 degrees Celsius

1) After pouring both the coffee and the water, stir the coffee 10 times. I suggest you use a bamboo stirrer. Avoid sharp objects.
2) Screw the press and let steep for 4 minutes
3) Press slowly, if the press gets stuck, just lift the press and try again. It is normal.
4) Serve or seal the lid.

Recension: Now I’m unfortunately finished with the December 17 KaffeBox. It was a great way to finish the week with El Mirador, it offered a fantastic combination of tea and coffee. coffee may be too similar to rooibos sometimes, but this only has the dark and yet slick feeling that can be found in an Earl Gray tea.

Coffee from Guatemala is always a bit complex and unique in taste, it actually reminds me a lot about coffee from Nicaragua, but not as many chocolate tones in the coffee.

As usual, there is a battle between the Hario V60 and Espro travel press, the Hario V60 was a much better brewing method than the Espro travel press. It gives a much better overview and highlights the finest tones at its best. I finish this KaffeBox week by thanking Kaffebox and of course The Barn for their El Mirador.

The chocolate I ate was dark chocolate with sea salt.

Rating: 6.5/10

The rating is only based on taste and quality and is not based on price.

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